A Persian Journey
Day-by-Day Itinerary
September 22-October 2
October 6-16
Day 1/2 —Check your travel documents one last time and arrive at your gateway airport at
least two hours before departure. We will depart JFK Airport at 9:35pm on Lufthansa.
Day 3 - We will arrive at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport
just after midnight. Plan to be surprised at how friendly
everyone is at the airport as you go through passport
control, claim your luggage, and pass through customs.
However…in a tit-for-tat gesture, the Iranian government
requires Americans to be fingerprinted before entering the
country. (We hope to expedite this process, but we have
no guarantees). You will be met by our in-country tour
partner in who will take you to the Laleh Hotel. A few
hours sleep will be important. Jet lag is an unavoidable fellow traveler, so we will move
slowly for the first half of the day. After a half-day tour of Tehran we will fly to Shiraz and
spend the night.
Day 4—Shiraz, the place of poets, offers much for us to see, so we may have to ration the
number of places we visit. Certainly we will include the Shah-e Cheragh Museum, and
possibly the adjacent mosque, one of the oldest in Iran. And we will include the Church of St.
Simon the Zealot, who, according to local tradition, was married in Persia.
Hafez and Saadi, the two most famous Persian poets, were both born in Shiraz, one of the
most famous centers for learning and the arts, and we will visit their tombs. Plan to be
surprised at the level of devotion still accorded these literary giants. A number of young
women (and a few young men) will bring flowers and read their favorite Hafez passages (he
wrote much about passionate love) around his tomb. If we’re not behind schedule, the
attached garden with two pools is a wonderful place for a cup of tea and watching the locals
smoke the hubble-bubble pipes. The Saadi tomb and its surroundings are not as impressive as
the final resting place of Hafez, but we will pay our respects.
Day 5—After breakfast we will motorcoach to one of the most impressive sights of antiquity—
Persepolis. Does every guidebook for Iran have a photo of Persepolis (more accurately called
Takht-e-Jamshiid) on its cover? It seems so. And
once you see it, you will understand its prominence.
Darius I initiated the construction but the project
wasn’t completed until 150 years later. A succession
of Persian kings, including Xerxes (Ahaseurus in the
Old Testament) intimidated vassal kings with the
magnificence of Persepolis, and it is not unlikely
that Esther, who saved the Jews in Persia, walked
these hallways.
Naghsh-e Rostam, the tomb of the kings, is less than
4 miles away. Hewn from a sheer cliff, the four
tombs cut into the rocks, are reputed to hold the remains of Darius I, Artaxerxes, Xerxes and
Darius II, but that’s one of the topics archaeologists like to argue about, so we’ll stay out of
the debate and just admire the tombs. Also we’ll see as the reliefs that were cut into the
rock several hundred years later during the Sassanian dynasty. And of particular interest to
our Spiritual Sites Tour, we’ll inspect the Zoroastrian fire-temple from the Achaemenian era.
(Robert Byron’s classic The Road to Oxiana is recommended reading prior to this day’s
journey.)
The last site of the day is Passagard and Cyrus the Great’s tomb. Little of Passagard remains
for us to see, but the cenotaph of Cyrus is still intact, and no doubt we will hear the history
(legend?) of why Alexander the Great spared this monument. True or not, it makes a great
story.
Late afternoon we will drive to Bavanat for dinner with the nomads and an opportunity to
experience the hospitality for which they are famous.
Day 6 - Yazd is our destination today. The city has a reputation as a “city of peace” which
has some significance to our tour. Zoroastrianism supposedly developed in Yazd and we will
visit the Fire Temple (whose fire has been constant for 2500 years) and the Towers of Silence,
the ancient burial site for this religion. A tour of the old city
with its interesting architecture and the Dowlat Abaad Gardent
are on the itinerary as well.
Day 7 - —“Isfahan nesf-e jahan”… “Isfahan is half the world”
according to the ancient half-rhyme. You will be able to decide if
you think it is an exaggeration. We will take two full days to
explore this special city—but it will not be adequate.
Emam Khomeini Square (still often referred to as Naghsh-e Jahan
Square) will be our first destination. It was Shah Abbas’ polo
grounds a few centuries ago but now serves as a huge courtyard
which is ringed by mosques, palaces and the bazaar. We’ll visit
Ali Ghapu Palace and climb 6 stories to capture the view
previously enjoyed only by royalty. Then we’ll walk across the
courtyard to see what many consider the most magnificent mosque in Iran—Masjed-e Emam.
Completed in 1638, the image of its pale blue tiled dome finds itself featured significantly in
travel brochures. It’s truly one of the most majestic mosques in the Muslim world. Also on the
square is the smaller Lotfollah Mosque, where the exquisite tile-work is unsurpassed
anywhere in the world. The bazaar around the square is extensive—Persian rugs, handprinted tablecloths, metalwork (silver, brass and copper) are among the most interesting
products. We’ll allow you time to bargain with the shopkeepers for that special souvenir.
Day 8 - Our second day in Isfahan will allow us to visit
Vank Cathedral, one of the most interesting Christian
edifices in Iran. Built in the mid-1600’s, there is an
attached museum with a very impressive display of
ancient Bibles and other documents, including what
supposedly is the first book ever printed in Iran.
Isfahan has an impressive string of bridges, some of which
are more than 800 years old. We will take some time to
investigate this ancient engineering as we explore the
environs of Isfahan, including the Zoroastrian fire temple
perched on a hill just outside of town. Also we plan to attend Zoor Khaneh, the traditional
sport-house, where the participants exercise to the admonition of a drummer.
Day 9 - Today we drive to Tehran via the quaint villages of Abyaneh (famous for its gardens)
and Kashan (famous for its carpets), taking some time to learn more about village life in Iran.
Day 10 - Our last day in Iran will allow us to visit a few more of the many palaces and gardens
of the city. In the afternoon we will visit the Velanjak area at the north edge of Tehran for a
farewell dinner. Just before midnight (which is not late by Iranian standards) we will transfer
to the airport for the return flight to JFK.